Chapter 114: That Year at 17, Sitting Like a Nobody

Madrid time, August 17.

Villarreal's El Madrigal Stadium.

This was Villarreal's first official match of the new season, against Monaco, also from one of Europe's top five leagues.

The match was full of highlights, as Villarreal and Monaco would decide the Champions League qualification for the new season over two legs!

Tang Ye, holding his jacket, walked with Rodri to the substitutes' bench and sat down.

Come to think of it, this was Tang Ye's first time stepping onto his team's home ground.

"How do you find El Madrigal?"

Rodri leaned back in his chair while the home fans shouted the team's name in Spanish.

Hmm...

Tang Ye squinted, turning his head left and right to observe, before finally offering an assessment: "Very yellow."

"Haha!"

Rodri burst out laughing; just as Tang Ye had said, the overall tone of El Madrigal was yellow—aside from the pitch's grass, the stadium seats and the decorations outside were all bright yellow.

"Now, I must grandly introduce the starting lineups for both teams in this match!"

The announcer's voice rang out; Tang Ye turned to look toward the players' tunnel as the starting elevens of both sides emerged together.

【At 38, you have entered the team for the Champions League playoff match, which means you may participate in the Champions League proper at the advanced age of 38—an achievement almost no one can accomplish.】

【Successfully help the team reach the Champions League: Money Jar.】

Money Jar?

Hearing something completely unfamiliar, Tang Ye's first reaction was to search within the system for a detailed introduction to this item.

【Money Jar: After completing a mission and obtaining a chest, you may temporarily refrain from opening it; instead, by completing more difficult missions, you can upgrade the chest to the next tier.】

Note: Each chest can be placed into the Money Jar only once; the Money Jar itself has no usage limit.

Damn!

Tang Ye finally understood: this so-called "Middle-Aged Man's Money Jar" was essentially a financial management tool.

I have a High-Level Chest but I won't open it yet; I'll complete more missions to earn a Superstar Chest!

Tang Ye had played with this mechanic before, but that version came with trigger conditions.

With this unlimited-use Money Jar, every time Tang Ye obtained a chest from now on, he could upgrade it by one tier before opening it.

It could be said to be a perfectly designed item.

But such a perfect item came with equally stringent acquisition conditions.

Villarreal had to defeat Monaco across the two legs!

Turning to look at Rodri, Tang Ye asked in a low voice: "Sergio, can we beat Monaco?"

"Rest assured, we'll definitely win!"

Rodri thumped his chest as he guaranteed.

As a former member of Villarreal's U19 squad, he was very clear about the first team's strength!

A mere Monaco—they would take them down outright!

"That's good, that's good."

Tang Ye breathed a sigh of relief.

He still had an unopened German High-Level Chest; Tang Ye's plan was to wait until the team qualified for the Champions League, obtain the Money Jar, upgrade the High-Level Chest to a Superstar Chest, and only then open it.

From a German Superstar Chest, Tang Ye estimated he would at least pull a player from the 2014 World Cup champion squad!

"We all live in a yellow submarine (We all live in a yellow submarine)"

"yellow submarine (yellow submarine)"

"Yellow submarine."

"We all live in a yellow submarine..."

"..."

"VAMOS Villarreal! (Long live Villarreal!)"

The home fans sang their anthem as the announcer introduced the starting lineups for both teams.

Villarreal (4-4-2)

Goalkeeper: Asenjo

Defenders: Mario Gaspar, Musacchio, Alfred N'Diaye, Kote

Midfielders: Castillejo, Trigueros, Bruno, Roberto Soldado

Forwards: Borré, Ale

Head Coach: Escrivá

Monaco (4-2-3-1)

Goalkeeper: Subašić

Defenders: Benjamin Mendy, Jemerson, Glik, Raggi

Midfielders: Bakayoko, Fabinho, Bernardo Silva

Forwards: Mbappé, Germain, Dirar

Head Coach: Jardim

Judging solely by player valuations, Monaco was slightly higher than Villarreal, though not by much.

Today's outcome would depend primarily on both sides' form!

Sitting on the substitutes' bench, Tang Ye saw Monaco's number 29, Mbappé, on the field and immediately dropped his jaw.

Damn!

Why does someone look exactly like a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle!

But this Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle is indeed awesome; the match had barely begun when Mbappé cut in from the left wing to the center, unleashing a threatening inward shot.

Villarreal's goalkeeper Asenjo nearly failed to save it!

"Oh!!"

The home fans were showing signs of anxiety.

By the 10th minute of the match, their most prized possession rate was actually trailing their opponent's!

This was unacceptable to the Villarreal players!

Fabinho cleared the ball out for a throw-in, and the director seized the opportunity to cut the camera to Tang Ye and Rodri on the substitutes' bench.

Two rookies: one was the assist king loaned from Utrecht by head coach Escrivá, and the other was a genius defensive midfielder from Villarreal's U19 squad.

It remained unknown whether these two rookies would get a chance to play.

Chinese fans seeing Tang Ye on the screen felt an indescribable surge of excitement.

Tang Tang Qiuwang had led Utrecht to secure a Champions League spot.

Could he help Villarreal once more!

In the 26th minute of the match, a mistake by Villarreal captain Bruno gave Bernardo Silva an opportunity.

Silva seized the chance to press forward, playing a through ball to the left flank near the byline.

Mbappé accelerated!

"Mm!"

Tang Ye, sitting on the substitutes' bench, nearly dropped the chewing gum from his mouth.

Just now, he had asked the assistant coach and learned that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle on the opposing side was only about 17 years old.

Why could others run so fast when they were 17!

Mbappé's speed was incredible; a few long strides carried him all the way to the byline.

Mbappé controlled the ball but did not pass immediately.

He chose to cut inside himself!

Musacchio retreated again and again, preparing to intercept the moment Mbappé attempted a pass.

Mbappé arrived at the edge of the penalty area after cutting horizontally inward.

A curled shot?

It was a pushed shot!

Mbappé looked toward the far post on the right side of the goal but actually struck the near post.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle's feint fooled goalkeeper Asenjo, and Monaco scored first!

"GGGGOOOOLLLLLL!!!! (Spanish for 'Goal')"

"Kylian Mbappé!"

Having scored, Mbappé ran all the way to the corner flag to celebrate with his teammates.

The home team's substitutes' bench fell silent.

Tang Ye turned to look at Rodri: "Sergio, do you think we can still win this?"

Tang Ye could already feel the pressure.

The Money Jar was clearly a very important item.

If the team failed to reach the Champions League, he wouldn't be able to obtain the Money Jar!

"We can win!"

Although trailing by one goal, Rodri still displayed an extremely high level of trust in his teammates!

The match continued, with head coach Escrivá anxiously directing the players on the field.

Villarreal was certainly not easy to bully; in the 40-something minute, new signing Aleix, receiving a cross from a teammate in the center of the penalty area, pushed the ball into the net with a shot.

"VAMOS!"

Rodri clenched a single fist: "See, I told you, Tom, it's just Monaco, an easy win!"

Tang Ye nodded; he had watched the goal-scoring process very intently just now.

While playing on the pitch, one might not feel it, but from the substitutes' bench, it was crystal clear.

Tang Ye's new teammates possessed passing, controlling, and off-the-ball movement abilities that were each more impressive than the last; the goal Aleix just scored was created through Villarreal players' constant passing and control!

Leaning back in his chair, he took a small sip of the sports drink placed on the ground.

Tang Ye had already prepared himself to lie down and win!

As the match entered the second half, the substitute players who had come out earlier sat back down in their chairs.

Escrivá instructed González and Rukavina to start warming up.

As for Tang Ye and Rodri.

Currently, these two guys were still sitting in their chairs.

In the camera shot, Tang Ye handed a piece of chewing gum to Rodri: "Do you want another?"

Rodri took the chewing gum.

【Damn Escrivá; if you ask me, he's not even as good as Ten Hag. Putting Tang Tang Qiuwang on at 1-1 would have ended the match already, wouldn't it?】

【Sigh, poor Tang Tang Qiuwang; dominating everywhere at Utrecht, yet here at Villarreal, he can only chew gum on the substitutes' bench.】

【Didn't they say Villarreal lacked midfielders this season? Why haven't they made a substitution yet?】

【Monaco on the other side hasn't substituted either; both are playing their full starting lineups. This match is too important; who doesn't want the Champions League bonus money?】

【Recording: This is the 5th piece of chewing gum for Tang Tang Qiuwang in this match.】

【Escrivá should be sacked; if Saint Ten came to Villarreal, they would probably have already won the La Liga title.】

"No need to curse Escrivá; Monaco is truly formidable. Villarreal's draw was unfavorable; had they faced another team, they likely would have advanced."

Chinese fans vented their dissatisfaction with Escrivá.

But to be honest, there was nothing to be done; sensible fans could see that Villarreal's main tactic today was possession-based play.

The logic was simple: if Villarreal wanted to play possession football, they absolutely could not put Tang Ye on the field, or it would be like crippling their own martial arts!

In the 76th minute, Bernardo Silva unleashed a long-range shot that directly found the back of the net!

Villarreal trailed by one goal!

The camera again cut to Tang Ye on the substitutes' bench; the Utrecht prodigy attacking midfielder and the Villarreal genius defensive midfielder remained seated in their original spots.

"Seventeen years old that year, sitting like a nobody!"

"Sergio, can we still win now?"

This was the third time Tang Ye had asked this question; Rodri watched the players from both teams running on the pitch.

"I... I don't know anymore..."

"Beep, beep-beep——!!!"

The match ended; ultimately, in the first leg of the playoff round, Villarreal lost 1:2 at home against their opponent, Monaco.

The home fans, who had been extremely passionate in the stands, were instantly silenced.

Check Dongqiu Di match report: Champions League playoff first leg, Villarreal lost 1:2 at home to Monaco; Tang Ye rode the bench throughout.

Check Dongqiu Di news: Monaco's number 29 player bears a striking resemblance to a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle!

Marca – The most erroneous loan of the summer window? The Eredivisie's assist king cannot get on the field at Villarreal; the Eredivisie being inferior to La Liga is not without reason!

Manchester Evening News front-page headline – Prophecy fulfilled? Ten Hag once stated in an interview that Tom does not suit the playing style of La Liga!

Even Tang Ye himself hadn't expected that his inability to play in the Champions League playoffs would directly generate another wave of traffic for Ten Hag.

The new Premier League season was about to begin, and now the eyes of fans worldwide were focused on Ten Hag.

Could the great Dutch sage lead the Manchester Red Devils back on the path to revival?

And how would he save his beloved disciple who had lost his way in La Liga?

(End of Chapter)